Evidence from Buhais Rockshelter for human settlement in Arabia between 60,000 and 16,000 years ago

New archaeological evidence from Buhais Rockshelter in the Faya Palaeolandscape, UAE, challenges the long-held belief that Arabia was uninhabited during the last glacial period. Stratified stone tool assemblages indicate repeated human occupation between 60,000 and 16,000 years ago, coinciding with periods of increased water availability in the region. This contradicts previous assumptions about human absence in southern Arabia during this critical timeframe for human evolution. The study combines archaeological excavations with paleoenvironmental analysis to reconstruct habitation patterns, extending known records from Jebel Faya and providing empirical data to test models of human adaptation and dispersal in desert landscapes.

Bretzke, K., Kim, S., Jasim, S. A., Yousif, E., Preusser, F., Preston, G. W., Pallottino, F., & Parker, A. G. (2026). Evidence from Buhais Rockshelter for human settlement in Arabia between 60,000 and 16,000 years ago. Nature Communications, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-70681-z